The rollercoaster ride that is my pregnancy

Yeah...we're not even going to comment on how long it's been since I've posted.  It's just like me to start something with so much 'giddy up and go', and then leave it by the wayside a few months later.  This is a trend in my life; exercising, dieting, staying organized, keeping my car clean, etc.  But we all have these issues...right?!


So here we are at 27, almost 28 weeks!  Oh, how time flies when you're...pregnant?  Typically that saying is when you're having fun, but I'm not so sure I'd call the last 6 months 'fun' necessarily.  It's definitely had it's moments, ('You're pregnant!'...'It's a boy!'...'I think I felt him move...or I have gas!') but lately things have been a little 'rough'.

After my fainting-at-the-hair-salon episode at week 18, I could have waited another 22 weeks to see the inside of a hospital and been perfectly okay with it.  But my body had other plans!  At 24 weeks I had some cramping in my lower back that automatically made my brain say, "oh man, I'm getting my period"...but then it quickly dawned on me that's not a good thing right now!  So I went to the restroom to make sure there was no blood to be found, and as I was leaving the restroom I felt a little 'gush' of liquid that made me a little nervous. This all happened at work, and I'm pretty sure it looked like I peed my pants, but with my belly being so big, I couldn't tell, and working at an elementary school, I'm sure I wasn't the only one walking around with a wet spot in my crotch!  On my way home from work I decided to call the doctor just to make sure this was 'normal', and was fully expecting to hear, 'Just go home, put your feet up and rest'.  Instead, I heard a nurse tell me to drive straight to Labor and Delivery Triage in case my water just broke.  Oh...my...God.  I was a hysterical mess driving home.  I'm sure anyone who passed me thought I just found out my dog died or something.  To add to the stress, my stupid phone wouldn't dial (I HATE Droids!), and I couldn't get a hold of Adam.  But eventually I did and we made our way to the hospital.  A little over an hour later I was being told that everything was just fine, and that I probably just had an episode of 'urinary incontinence'.  WHAT?!  I asked the doctor, "so...I just peed my pants?", and she smiled at me and responded, "Well, yes."  Great.  Thank the lord we have insurance, because if I just paid out of pocket for a trip to the ER because I have leaky pipes...

The next and final (up to today that is) 'episode' I had was a little worse.  I woke up on a Sunday morning (just four days after the previous trip to the ER) with horrible diarrhea.  I thought it was just my lovely and dysfunctional digestive system making another appearance, but a few hours later when I started barfing uncontrollably, I knew it was something more.  We had been at a wedding the night before and I couldn't help but think, "go figure, the one time I'm actually not hungover from having too good of a time the night before, I'm still sicker than a dog!"  I chalked it up to the stomach bug and thought I'd have about 9 hours of hell before feeling like only a car ran over me rather than a bus.  Fifteen VERY long hours later I was still unable to keep anything down and had developed the worst stomach cramps I've ever felt, so I decided it was time to call the doctor.  He had me go the Labor and Delivery Triage yet again!  I'm surprised the nursing staff doesn't have a permanent bed set up for me by now!  When we arrived at the hospital, poor Reid's heart rate was over 190bpm.  Mine was also very elevated, and the little belt thing they put on your tummy, was showing that I was starting to have contractions.  They hooked me up to an IV right away and within 20 mins I felt like a new woman!  I was kept over night and 11.5 hours later was finally sent home with a diagnosis of food poisoning.  I am now EXTREMELY careful of what I eat!  There's no way I could go through that again any time soon, if ever!

Here's me at that dreaded 24th week - this was taken the night before I had the food poisoning...just a few hours later I wasn't looking so good!

But I can thankfully say the last 3 weeks have been nice, quiet, and uneventful!  Even with all our ups and downs, I'm still over the moon about even BEING pregnant!  I'd much rather be short of breath because I ate too much, or having sciatica because the kid's head is getting bigger, than going through the emotional rollercoaster that was infertility. One of my greatest and closest friends is on that rollercoaster right now, and I feel for her.  She goes in for her first IVF retrieval on the 17th of this month after 3 failed IUI's.  Please think, pray, whatever it is you do, for her in the upcoming weeks.  There isn't a more deserving couple than her and her husband, and I can only hope the universe gets this right and grants them with what they more than deserve.

I'll leave you with some of what I think are the funniest things people say to pregnant ladies.  My favorite has to be, "You can't even tell you're pregnant from behind!" - well, thank God!  I'm not carrying this child in my ass!  I think they're trying to find a way to tell you that you look good, even if/when you don't...but if you CAN tell you're pregnant from your backside, I'd ask the doctor about that.  Another all time favorite (and this just may be me), is when I've been told I'm 'glowing'.  Little do they know, I just bought a new bronzer ;0)

Food of the 25th - 28th week =

                              

Let your spouse put an ear to your belly -- he might be able to pick up baby's heartbeat (no stethoscope required). Inside the womb, the formation of tiny capillaries is giving baby a healthy pink glow. Baby's also soaking up your antibodies, getting the immune system ready for life outside the womb. Eyes are forming, and baby will soon perfect the blink -- perfect for batting those freshly grown lashes.